Acetylene generator



June 3 1924,

Filed July 15. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet l Charles (II. Nichols 3 III 5 n u P I e .l .0 mg, n \k H 9" I W. V 9E i I! Z 7 3 l a L 4 we mw 9 I w ll S 87 2 4 B k 5 q 5 8 7 mm u I70 5 334 INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY June 3 ,1924.

c. w. NICHOLS .ACETYLENE GENERATOR Filed July 15 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllflllfllrllalnlllll;llliaalltv!rtlrlll511451!!!villa/4 Charles m. Nichols INVENTOR wrrmzsssgsalQo:

ATTORN EY Patented June 3, 1924.

i ED ST .TES

CHARLES W. NICHOLS, OF PARIS, TEXAS,

ASSIGNOROF ONE-HALF TOW. E. ROGUE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EARIS, TEXAS, A CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

ACETYLENE GENERATOR.

Applicationfiled July 15, 1921. "SeriaINo. 484,898.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. NioHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Paris, in the county of Lamar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Acetylene Generator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gas generators and is more particularly directed to an automatically controlled acetylene generator.

Herctofore. generators have been constructed in which the feeding means for the calcium carbide is operated by a motor located exteriorly of an air-tight drum in which the gas is generated. This necessitates packing the journals of the shaft very firmly where they pass through the drum to prevent the escape of gas and therefore greater power is required to operate the shaft.

-Or, as an alternative, the feeding means is operated by the pressure of the gas generated within the drum, and this pressure must be low in order to effectively produce a steady flow .of gas; nevertheless, low pressure in the gas drum is undesirable since it considerably limits the distance through which the gas may be distributed.

It is an object of my invention to provide as a feeding means for the carbide a wheel which is operated by the descent of the carbide, and to control said feeding means by a mechanism which is positioned within a chamber outside the drum. The generated gas which is under relatively high pressure within the drum is adapted to automatically stop the operation of the feeding mechanism when a predetermined limit is reached, while a governor is employed to control the speed of the feeding wheel.

The invention will be best understood froma consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawing, but may be changed and modified so long as such changes and modi- 'fications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Inthe drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of a drum and the operating mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in detail of the feeding device.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the generator taken along the line 33 ofFig.1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in detail of the governing and controlling means for the feeding device.

Fig. '5 is "a sectional view through the governor and the chamber in which it is operated.

In the drawing, ldesignates. a container or drum which is provided with a base 2 concaved inwardly, and atop 3 to whioh'is secured a depending hopper 4 adapted to carry a certain quantity of calcium carbide. The central portion of the top is perforated, and concentrically with the perforation is secured an externally threaded nipple 5 upon which is screwed an internally threaded cap "6. A washer 7 is located between the outer periphery of the nipple 5 and the cap 6 to prevent the escape of gas from the hopper and drum. The nipple 5 provides a means for filling the hopper 4 with calcium carbide.

A'feeding wheel 8 provided with aplurality of spaced buckets 9 upon its exterior surface, has its vertical diameter placed to i one side of the lower opening or mouth 10 of the hopper 4.. in order that the carbide in the hopper will drop upon the buckets 9 as they pass'beyond vthe upper dead center of the wheel and cause the wheel to be operated thereby. A flanged plate 11. secured to the sides of the drum and to the hopper t, surrounds the opening 10, and is adapted to direct gas away from the mouth or opening 10 and support the mouthlO centrally of the drum. One end of a shaft 12 is mounted in bearings 13 secured to one side of the drum 1. the other end of the shaft being mounted in a diametrically oppositely disposed bearing 'l t lo'cated upon the inner wall 19 of a chamber 15. This chamber is made rectangular inform with sides, top andbottom 17. To receive the chamber, a portion of the drum is pressed inwardly forming a, supporting shoulder 16 and a wall 19 which serves as the back for the chamber, an opening 20 cut in the drum above/the back wallproviding communication between the drum and said chamber. The chamber is secured to the shoulder 16', and to the top of the drum where the latter is'fc'i'it as indicated at 20, and a; cover plate 18 is sethe shaft 12 and wheel 8.

cured to. the flanged portion 17 of the sides,

top and bottom of the chamber by numerous screws or bolts. A washer 18 is interposed between the flanges and the cover plate to prevent the escape of gas generated in the drum 1.

It is to be understood therefore that the drum 1, in the upper portion of which the hopper a is supported, and the shoulder 15 secured to the side of the drum and in communication therewith through the opening 20, together constitute a hermetically sealed tank within which the gas is produced.

In order to provide a uniform speed for the feeding wheel 8, a governor is employed in the chamber 15 and connected with the shaft 12.

An end 21 of the shaft 12 extends beyond the bearing 14 and into the chamber 15, upon which is mounted aperforated substantially cylindrical governor drum 22 adapted to be partially immersed in a liquid which fills the chamber 15 at least half full, as shown by the dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5. l

The drum governor 22 is divided into four chambers designated by the letters a, b, 0, (Z, by means of the partitions 23 which are at right angles to each other. The outer sides of each chamber, which form the ends of the drum 22, are provided with a plurality of perforations. F our of these perforations or openings, designated by the numeral 24, are formed in each chamber of the drum 32 and close to the axis of rotation of the drum. The other perforations, designated by the numerals 25 and 26, are located near the periphery of the drum close to the partitions 23, or in the outer opposite corners of each chamber a, Z), 0, (Z. As will be explained later, the governor drum being rotated in the water or some other liquid, will permit the liquid to enter certain of the perforations or ports, but as the chambers are elevated when the shaft is rotated, liquid will escape through certain of the perforations and control the speed of rotation of the shaft, which in turn will control the speed of rotation of the wheel 8.

- There may be times when it is necessary, in view of the liquid collected in the drum 22 and the calcium carbide filling up a space between two of the buckets 9 which has checked the flow of the carbide from the hopper a, to manually start the rotation of This may be done by providing a cranking means which is adapted to engage at times a member on the shaft 12, and to cause rotation of the shaftwhen the cranking means is operated.v Therefore, a rotatable andslidable shaft 29, provided with a crank and an operating handle 31, is journaled in a boss 32 formed centrally on the cover plate 18-. The cover has a centrally located perforation through which is inserted the shaft 29. This crank 30 on the inner end of the shaft 29 is adapted to engage the spaces between the web o'fpa toothed wheel 33 as the handle 31 is pushed inwardly towards the cover 18. The packing St and internally threaded nut 35 are screwed down upon the boss 32 to prevent the escape of gas fromthe chamber 15 around the shaft 29.

The toothed wheel is rigidly mounted on the extended end 21 of the shaft 12, and as the handle 31 is turned when the crank 30 of the shaft engages the web of the wheel 33, it will cause the shaft 12 and the wheel 8 to rotate.

A manually operated dog or stop 36 projects into the path of the toothed wheel 33 and is adapted to engage a tooth thereof at certain times to prevent rotation of the toothed wheel and likewise the shaft 12 and the feed wheel 8. This stop 36 is secured upon a shaft 37 which passes through the cover 18 and centrally through a boss 38 integrally formed on the cover, and is provided with packing and a nut 39 similar to the packing and nut employed for preventing the escap of gas from the boss 32. ii handle -10 upon the outer end of the shaft 37 is adapted to operate the shaft and likewise the stop 36.

In hide) to automatically control the operation of the wheel 8, a device is employed which is controlled by the pressure of the gas to prevent rotation of the toothed wheel 33 and also the feed wheel 8. This device comprises a casing 11 which is secured in any approved manner to the top 17 of the chamber 15, and communicates with the chamber 15 by means of a passageway 42, in which is reciprocated a rod -13 mounted at its lower end in a bearing 44 secured to the side of the chamber 15, and at its upper end rigidly secured centrally of a diaphragm 15. The diaphragm, at its periphery. is securely fixed to the upper edge of the casing 41 by means of an internally threaded cap 41:6 engaging the external threads upon the easing 41. The rod 43 is permitted to project outwardly through an opening centrally formed in the cap 46. I i

To the extreme lower end of the rod 42 is secured a stop 17 having a toe 48 which is adapted to be moved into the path of the rotating toothed wheel. 33, and to be en gaged between a pair of the teeth on the wheel when the diaphragm 41-5 is forced outwardly by reason of the pressure of the gas in the chamber 15 and the drum 1. As soon as the pressure of the gas falls. by reason of th same being carried off through the pipe 448 to the flash back tank, the diaphragm will automatically return and the toe 48 of the stop a? will be moved downwardly and out of engagement with the teeth of the wheel 38, when the carbide which has collected in a heap between the buckets 9 of the wheel 8 and stopped theflow of the carbide from the mouth 10 of the hopper 4, will. by the force of gravity, cause the samje to tend to descend, and thereby rotate the wheel 8. The carbide being projected into the water which partially fills the drum 1 will cause the generation of a new supply of gas and increased pressure. When. the pressure of the gas has become su'fiiciently great to operate the diaphragm 45, the clutch 47 will again be caused to stop the toothed wheel 33.

An inlet pipe 49, provided with a screwthieaded stopper 5O engaging the. internal threads of the pipe, is adapted to provide a means for re-filling the drum 1 with water.

A similar pipe '51 provided with a screw-- threaded stopper 52, provides a means for supplying the chamber 15 with the proper amount of liquid to control the rotation of the drum 22. A valved pipe 53 connected with the interior of the drum 1 is adapted to provide an outlet for the water and calcium deposits which forms a sediment on the bottom 2 of the drum 1.

The operation of my device is as follows 7 The stopper 50 is removedfrom the pipe 49 and the druin is partially filled with water, until the water appears to stand in the pipe 49, when the stopper 50 may be replaced. The stopper 52 may also be removed from the water pipe 51 and the chamber 15 partially filled with liquid until the same appears at the top of the pipe 51,when the plug 52 may be returned to its position. The brake 36 is thrown into engagement with the toothed wheel 33 by means of the handl'e40 to prevent retation of the toothed wheel and the feeding wheel 8. The stopper 6 and the washer 7 are then removed from the boss 5 secured upon the top 3 of the drum 1, and the calcium carbide s poured 'in through the opening in the boss until the hopper'4 is filled, when the washer 7. and the'stopper 6 may be replaced inposition to hermetically seal the drum. Some of the carbide pouring from the mouth of the hopper will be deposited on the wheel 8 between a pair of buckets'9, and will collect there in a pile sufficiently highfto prevent any further flow of the carbide from the mouth. I

The shaft 29 is moved inwardly into the chamber 15, by means of the handle 31, in order that the crank 30 will enter in the spacebetween the webs of the toothed Wheel 33. The handle 40 is rotated to move the brake 36 from engagement with the toothed wheel 33, and the handle 31 isthen rotated,

causing the'toothed wheel to rotate the shaft and the feeding wheel 8, when the carbide which has beendepositedbetweeh a pair of the buckets 90f the wheel 8 and choked the mouth 10 of the hopper, is precipitated into the water, permitting the carbide to flow freely onto the wheel and causing said wheel to rotate.

Since the feeding of the carbide on the wheel 8 is only restricted by the area of the opening 10 of the hopper 4, a governor in the chamber 15, comprising the drum 22, cooperating with the liquid in the chamber, is employed to control the speed of rotation of the feeding wheel 8.

Referring to Figs. '4 and 5, the operation of the governor is as follows The lower half of the governor drum 22 is submerged in liquid and because of the perforations 26, liquid will be admitted to'the two lower chambers c and d of the drum, air being driven out through perforations 24 and 25.

As chamber 0 is elevated and the perforations 24 rise above the planepa'ssing through the horizontal axis of the drum,- liquid will pour from the openings 24, and at the same time enter the submerged perforations 26 of chamber Z), air entering the'perforations 25 and 26 of chamber a and being expelled through perforations 25 in chamber 6. As

the rotation of the drum is continued in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 5, the chamber d will also be passing'towards the direction taken by the chamber 0, and when the perforation 24 of that chamber has passed above the horizontal plane just described, liquid will begin to run out of the perforations 24, as air enters openings 25 and 26. Liquid from the chamber 0 will have had time to drain at about the time chamber a is submerged. Each chamber in its turn will be immersed and then removed from contact with the liquid so that the perforations 26 will always operate to permit liquid to flow into a chamber when the chamber is completely immersed, while the perforations 24 will permit the waterto drain when the chamber is in elevated position and outof contact with the liquid. Air is principally 'e'xp'elled through perforations 25, but sometimes they permitliquid to flow through them wh'enall the liquid does not escape through perforations 24. It will beseen that the constant flow of liquid to and from the chambers alternately produces a well balz'inced structure, and keeps the feeding wheel from operating too fast. In my apparatus, the feeding of the carbide is controlled and-automatically stopped by the pressure of gas. "The main shaft 12 only operated about fifteen times to one hundred pounds of carbide. If desired, the controlling and governing means for the shaft 12 may be duplicated at each end of said shaft.

What is claimed is 1. In an acetylene generator, a tank. for "containing gas-producing elements, aishaft &

rotatably mounted entirely within. the tank, means for progressively feeding one of the gas-producing elements to the other element, said feeding means being operable by the weight of the progressively fed element to cause rotation of the shaft to control the flow of the progressively fed element, and means on the shaft inside the tank for controlling the speed of the shaft.

2. In an acetylene generator, a tank for containing the gas producing elements. a shaft rotatably mounted inside the tank, a hopper within the tank located above the shaft for containing a supply of one of the gas producing elements, means for pro gressively receiving quantities of said element from said hopper, adapted to be actuated by the weight of said quantities to rotate the shaft and to deliver them to the other element, and a fluid operated governor secured to the shaft for retarding the rotation of the same.

3. In an acetylene generator, a tank for containing the gas producing elements, a shaft rotatably mounted entirely within the tank, a wheel secured to the shaft and having a circumferential series of buckets, a hopper within the tank having an outlet directly above the path of said buckets at one side of the shaft, whereby the weight of the material discharged from the hopper causes the rotation of the shaft, and means secured to the shaft for retarding its rotation.

4. In an acetylene generator, a tank adapt ed to contain gas-producing elements. a shaft rotatably mounted entirely within the tank,

means on the shaft for progressively feed ing one of the gas-producing elements to the other element, said feeding means being op erable by gravity to cause rotation of the shaft to control the flow of the progressiw'ely fed element, a governor inside the tank for controlling the speed of rotation of the shaft, and means automatically actuated when the gas generated in the tank reaches a predetermined pressure to positively stop the rotation of the'shaft.

5. In an acetylene generator, a drum adapted to be partially filled with water, a shaft rotatably mounted within the drum, a wheel rigidly mounted on the shaft, a hopper arranged to feed a granular gasproducing substance to operate the wheel by gravity and thereby to progressively feed said substance to the water. a chamber in communication with the drum above the operative level of the Water, the shaft being journaled at one end in the drum and at its other end in the chamber, and a governor on said shaft within the chamber for controlling the speed of rotation of said shaft.

6. In an acetylene generator. a drum adapted to be partially filled with water, a bucket wheel rotatably mounted within the drum, a hopper arranged to feed a granular gas-producing substance to the buckets to rotate the wheel and thereby to progressively feed said substance to the water, and a fluid governor secured in fixed relation to the wheel and, operable when partly submerged in water to reduce the speed of rotation of the wheel.

7. In an acetylene generator, a tank adapted to contain gas-producing elements means for progressively feeding one of said gasproducing elements to the other element, and a governor adapted to control. the feed ing of said element comprising a perforated drum partially submerged in water and adapted to be operated by the feeding means.

8. In an acetylene generator, a tank adapt ed to contain water, a hopper within the tank for containing calcium carbide, a rotatable element extending into the path of carbide discharged by the hopper and ro tatable by the weight of the carbide, and means secured in fixed relation to the wheel and operable when partially submerged in water for continuously retarding the speed of rotation of said element.

9. In an acetylene generator, a hermetically sealed tank adapted to contain water, a hopper within said tank for containing calcium carbide, means beneath the hopper for feeding the carbide into the water including an element rotatable by the weight of the carbide as it falls from the hopper, means within the tank for continuously retarding the speed of said rotatable element, and means also within the tank for positively stopping the rotation of said element when the gas within the tank reaches a predetermined pressure.

10. In an acetylene generator, a tank for containing gasproducing elements, a shaft rotatably mounted entirely within the tank, means on the shaft for progressively feeding one of the gas-producing elements to the other element, said means being operable by gravity to cause rotation of the shaft to control the flow of the progressively fed element, means on the shaft lo cated in achamber separate from the feeding means for continuously retarding the speed of rotation of the shaft. and means for automatically stopping the rotation of the shaft when the gas within the tank reaches a predetermined pressure.

11. In an acetylene generator. a tank adapted to contain gasproducing elements, a rotatably mounted shaft. a bucket wheel fixed on the shaft, means for feeding one of the gas-producing elements to said wheel and thereby rotating it, a toothed wheel fixed on said shaft. a manually operated stop adapted to cooperate with the toothed wheel for preventing rotation of the shaft and bucket wheel, a second stop adapted to cooperate with the toothed wheel to prevent rotation of the shaft, said second stop being automatically operated by a predetermined pressure of gas within the tank, a manually-operated means normally out of engagement with the toothed wheel and adapted to be moved into engagement therewith and rotated for starting the rotation of the shaft.

12. In an acetylene generator, a drum adapted to contain gas-producing elements, a chamber having its upper portion in direct communication with the upper portion of the drum, a rotatably mounted shaft having one end projecting into the chamber, a bucket wheel fixed on the shaft, means for feeding one of the gas-producing elements to said wheel and thereby rotating it, a toothed wheel fixed on the end of the shaft within the chamber, a stop adapted to cooperate with the toothed wheel for preventing rotation of the shaft and bucket wheel, and a governor secured to the end of the shaft in the chamber for controlling the speed of rotation of said shaft.

13. In an acetylene generator, a hermetically sealed tank adapted to contain gasproducing elements, a shaft rotatably mounted within the tank, a bucket wheel secured to the shaft, means for feeding one of the gas-producing elements to said wheel and thereby rotating it, a chamber within the tank into which the shaft projects, a toothed wheel secured to the shaft within the chamber, a casing in communication with the chamber and provided with a. diaphragm. and provided with a. stop adapted to be projected into engagement with the toothed wheel to prevent the rotation of the shaft when the pressure of the gas forces the diaphragm outwardly.

14c. In'an acetylene generator, a drum adapted to contain gas producing elements, means for progressively feeding one of said gas producing elements to the other to form a gas, a chamber in communication with the drum, said chamber being partially filled with liquid, and a governor adapted to control the feeding of said element comprising a drum partitioned off into a plurality of chambers, the chambers being provided with openings near their peripheries for the admission of liquid when each chamber is alternately submerged in the liquid, and other openings located near the axis of rotation of the drum adapted to permit the liquid to escape as the chambers are elevated from the liquid, and other perforations in the chamber adapted to admit air and at another time permit air to be expelled through them.

15. In an acetylene generator, a drum, a hopper for containing carbide, a feeding wheel in communication with the hopper, a shaft on which said wheel is mounted, a closed chamber provided on the exterior of the drum but having communication therewith, a Water-controlled governor contained within the chamber and mounted on the end of said shaft and operable to continuously reduce the speed of rotation of the shaft, and means for supplying the chamber with water in which the governor may operate.

16. In an acetylene generator, a drum adapted to contain gas-producing elements, a chamber in communication with the drum, a rotatably mounted shaft having one end projecting into the chamber, a bucket Wheel fixed on the shaft means for feeding one of the gas-producing elements to said Wheel and thereby rotating it, a toothed wheel fixed on the end of the shaft projecting in the chamber, and a rotatab-ly and slidably mounted shaft provided with a crank at its inner end and a handle at its outer end for engaging the toothed wheel for manually rotating the latter and the shaft on which it is mounted.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature.

CHAS. w. NICHOLS. 

